


Where the Heart Is

by thebasement_archivist, Ursula



Category: The X-Files
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-03-15
Updated: 2001-03-15
Packaged: 2018-11-20 09:12:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11332755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebasement_archivist/pseuds/thebasement_archivist, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ursula/pseuds/Ursula
Summary: A Valentines Day schmoopy kind of a story featuring sex, angst and house hunting.





	Where the Heart Is

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Basement](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Basement), which moved to the AO3 to ensure the stories are always available and so that authors may have complete control of their own works. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Basement's collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thebasement/profile).

 

Where the Heart Is By Ursula and Jennie

Title: Where the Heart Is  
Authors: Ursula and Jennie  
Pairing: Sk/K/M  
Rating: NC-17  
Status: New, complete  
Spoilers: Only in the vaguest way for season 8  
Archive: Yes, to RatB, DitB and WWOMB  
Disclaimers: None of these boys are ours - no money made here - no copyright infringement intended.  
Feedback: Oh, please! <> and <>  
Other websites: Both of our pages at RatB, thanks to Ned & Leny: <http://fullhouseslash.slashcity.net/hosted/Jennie.htm#other> and <http://www.squidge.org/~terma/ursula/ursula.htm> <http://www.squidge.org/~drruthless/jennie/jennieslist.htm>  
Much appreciation to Teri for making the supreme sacrifice and doing the beta on what she calls "an icky threesome story" - and at the last minute, too. And thanks to Sue for giving it the once over and only once making a nasty comment on the Skinner factor.  
Summary: A Valentines Day schmoopy kind of a story featuring sex, angst and house hunting.  
NOTE: Fortified and inspired by latest from The Theban Band:  
  http://www.squidge.org/~praxisters/domos.html  
  http://www.squidge.org/~praxisters/domos2.html  
  http://www.squidge.org/~praxisters/domos3.html  
Sigh, nobody does it better...

* * *

Where the Heart Is  
By Ursula and Jennie

Entering his bedroom, Walter's eye went straight to a delightful sight, a wriggling bottom, uplifted like a lovely invitation as its owner searched for something under the bed. Walter thought Mulder had gone home, but you never knew about those two. So he looked under the bed to make sure that Mulder was not for some reason hiding there, enjoying the talents of Alex's luscious mouth. 

No, nothing but Alex's reaching hand, a pair of briefs belonging to Walter and a few stray socks. Alex piled the laundry up in a heap and crawled backwards, blowing a dust bunny off his nose. He frowned, deepening the crease over his nose that he hated, but Walter loved. Walter thought of the line as a 'kiss me here' design. In fact, he was so inspired that he just had to plant a kiss there and dab away a mote of fuzz that was riding happily on Alex's eyelash.

"I keep meaning to vacuum under the bed," Walter said, "but every time I get near it something happens." A goofy smile stretched Walter's face from ear to ear, a broad beaming expanse to cover. "Not that I'm complaining, mind you." 

Sitting on the bed, Walter pulled Alex up beside him and pounced. He loved kissing Alex, his hands playing over his lover's side, deliberately tickling him to evoke Alex's throaty chuckle, as he devoured luscious pink lips.

"Walter, Walter, I have to get ready to meet Marita," Alex said, voice protesting even as his hand spoke a different language, holding onto Walter tightly, as he always did when they made love. 

It took all the hard-won discipline of a lifetime for Walter to suppress the instinctive argument. Alex was still deeply involved in the resistance and there was no use protesting it. They each had their role to play - no matter how burdensome they had become. Alex disentangled and stood up, a naked demigod, his cock rosy and perky from even this brief moment of play.

Rolling over on his back, Walter reached for his glasses and rested one of his hands on his firmly muscled stomach. He peered at Alex through faintly fogged lenses - Alex still had that effect on him after all this time. 

"So what were you looking for under there?" Walter asked.

"My shorts," Alex said, "Last damn pair I had, too."

Walter moved to the edge of the bed as Alex strode around the room, eyes checking each of the odd places his underwear had, at one time or another, been found. He looked at the award plaque presented by the Director for Skinner's work when still a Special Agent. Then, the mirror - over the corner of which he'd recently discovered his favorite boxer shorts dashingly draped. Next, he glanced at the windowsill he often found his underwear clinging to, as if advertising their love affair.

He'd always been partial to that particular spot.

Trying to be helpful, Walter asked, "Where was the last place you remember seeing them?"

"In Mulder's teeth, but I'm sure Scully would have said something if he showed up for their brunch that way," Alex said. Shrugging, he grabbed his jeans and said, "Normally, I wouldn't mind going commando, but Marita gets a little up close and personal sometimes. I told her I was definitely unavailable, but she can't seem to hear 'No'."

Watching the denim mold around Alex's shapely ass as closely as his hands itched to do, Walter cleared his throat. "Maybe I should go with you? Establish my territory."

"Wouldn't stop her...she has eyes for you too," Alex said, zipping up very, very carefully.

"I can't figure out what happens to my underwear. Either there's a clothing-munching monster under his bed, or whoever is watching his place has the jones for my shorts," Alex complained in somewhat muffled tones as he slid a black, long-sleeved tee shirt over his head.

A thought - nay, a veritable stroke of genius struck Walter's brain. He said, "I know what we have to do. Find a place big enough for all three of us. One of us is constantly leaving something in the wrong apartment. God knows; Kim has taken to keeping complete outfits for me in her closet at work. The cure is simple. We move in together and keep our clothes all in one place."

And why was Alex's mouth trembling like that, those jadeite eyes widening and darkening with tears?

"Alex, what did I say?" Walter asked, scrambling out of bed to embrace his lover.

"You want me to live with you. You trust me that much?" Alex questioned, meeting Walter's eyes with hope, yearning, and the faintest trace of apprehension.

"Of course, I do!" Walter said, and he wished he'd asked Alex to move in a long time ago. It had not seemed fair to Mulder for one or the other to claim so much of their lover, so, they'd coasted along, Alex bouncing back and forth between Mulder and Skinner's homes.

"I'm going to hold on to that, Walter, no matter what happens to me. I'll remember," Alex said.

"You won't have to remember. I'm sure Mulder will agree. The lease is up on his apartment next week and he's been holding off signing a new one for a month. I'll start browsing for possibles today," Walter said, heading for the Sunday paper and his computer.

SKMSKMSKSMSKMSKM

//Of course I do//

Wow!

He knew a silly grin was plastered to his face.

And didn't care. Not at all. Walter trusted him ... *Walter* trusted him -wanted to live with him ... uh, them.

Amazing.

Unexpected.

Wonderful.

Finally dressed, Alex headed to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. Sipping the strong Hawaiian Kona, he went into the living room, and stood watching Walt, still smiling that smile of his.

Finally, feeling Alex's eyes on him, Skinner rustled the paper and peered over the top at him. "What?" he growled. "It makes me nervous to see you smile, Alex. You know that."

"I know," Alex agreed happily, still with a sunny expression on his face. "'M just ... overwhelmed, I guess. Never imagined that you'd actually want to live with me. It ... I ..." Tears threatened again. "Thanks," he finally said through a tight throat.

Setting the paper aside, Walter crossed to Alex and pulled him into an embrace. "I love you, you know. I may not say it - but I do. Very much."

"Oh." Burying his face in Skinner's broad shoulder, Alex trembled. "Love you, too," he mumbled. 

Releasing his hold, Walt stepped back. "I know," he said with a satisfied grin. "Now... didn't you say something about a meeting?"

"Shit!" Alex set his coffee down and went to the closet for his coat. He shrugged it on and looked at Skinner. "You check for apartments while I'm gone - and, if Mulder turns up, will you tell him? Maybe we can go look at some places this afternoon. If he's agreeable, that is."

"How long do you think you'll be gone?" 

Krycek shrugged. "Not very. Should be back in a couple of hours."

"Alex," Skinner sent him a serious look. "Be careful, okay?"

"Always."

SKMSKMSKSMSKMSKM

Assuming that Alex was still at Walter's, Mulder didn't even bother to stop at his own apartment. He dug Alex's briefs out from under the car seat where had stashed them after discovering them in his pocket at the restaurant. Of course, Scully had blamed Mulder's quirky sense of humor when they fell out on the floor as he hastily took out his wallet to pay the bill. Actually he had no idea how they migrated to his pocket except, of course, that the three of them still made love in a deliriously happy frame of mind; one in which anything could happen. 

Mulder had often wondered what it would take to make him feel happy and secure. He had frequently thought it would take a miracle such as Elvis Presley, wailing out, "What could heal a broken heart?" walking into the room with Samantha holding one of his hands and a little grey alien the other.

In the end it hadn't taken all of that. No, just being disassembled and then being put back together by aliens. Dying and being resurrected. Realizing that his most beloved, his most hated enemy was fighting the good fight in his own way. Realizing that all the anger between himself and Skinner covered up something a lot more satisfying. Putting it altogether had involved screaming at each other at the top of their lungs and a moment of silence before Alex had said, "Can't you see we both love you, Mulder?"

Denial had been flying from Mulder's lips before he looked at Walter Skinner and saw him look at Alex for one long moment before nodding agreement. Mulder could still remember the way it felt, as if all the blood had rushed to his head. He'd had to sit down, stumbling back, one complete and one damaged set of hands reaching out to catch him lest he fall. He had sat there almost numb, with the two of them frozen in place, reaching for him. And the bravest, wisest thing he had ever done was to have the courage to take their hands.

None of them had found it easy. Memory was a battlefield filled with craters, embankments of scars, and hearts armored against caring. Sex had been the easy part, but it hadn't been enough. One day Mulder woke, sprawling in an abandoned fashion in Walter's bed and felt both of their bodies follow his in blind orbit when he got up. He realized that he loved them, totally, absolutely without reservation. It scared him to death and he had run from the apartment like a terrified animal. He had made it all the way to Scully's door and found himself babbling about it not being too late. 

Dana had looked at him and shaken her head. She said, "Have enough respect for me not to use me to hide from your feelings. What do you need, Mulder? Do you really want to end that relationship? God knows, we've argued it enough -at least about Krycek. How many times have I heard you say how happy he makes you? I won't lie to you. I waited for him to turn again; at first, I even wanted it, but then I realized that if he did, I might not be able to pick up the pieces for Walter or you."

His Dana was like Thoth, the avatar of truth. She weighed his soul and knew its secrets. Mulder had kissed her cheeks and left. On the way back, he bought croissants, and lied to his lovers when he returned to the apartment about an early morning jog. He knew they saw right through him, but neither of them had confronted him with anything more than a passionate reclaiming after the impromptu brunch.

That was the past and this was now. He was still Spooky Mulder, but now his curiosity and obsession had lost its self-destructive edge. Mulder reached under to the box hidden between the doorframe and the wall, removing the key Walter kept there for him, solving the issue of his regrettable tendency to lose every copy Walter had gifted him with. 

Walter was wearing tight, white denim jeans, unbuttoned at the top and edges curling down. An equally pristine muscle tee shirt looked as if had been painted on, displaying the well-defined pectorals and the splendid definition of the man's heroic arms. His bare feet sprawled outward from the table as he sat studying the classifieds intently.

"New car?" Mulder asked. Walter had been mentioning something a bit less conservative.

"No, I thought I might - well, let me ask you first, have you thought about the way we live? You go home, but it seems as if we all end up at your place before night falls - or you stay here and never have what you need the next morning. Alex has given up even maintaining the pretense of a separate residence," Walter said, peering at Mulder over the top of his wire-rimmed glasses.

Frowning, all Mulder could think about was what had he done wrong? He'd finally learned to recap the toothpaste and not to squeeze from the middle. Walter had conceded and told him to wear any of his shirts that tickled his fancy. He never called Alex names anymore or baited him to invoke a fight, (hardly ever, anyway). 

It took the discovery that Alex was happy enough to skip right to making up and, you know, that was pretty agreeable to Mulder too. If they wanted an edge to their sex, there was always role-play and a box in the closet full of interesting toys - amazingly, Walter's. Wasn't that a discovery the day that Alex had found them while looking for a mouse that had run through the bedroom?

"Did you want me to stay at my place more often?" Mulder asked, unhappily.

"What? No, of course not, I just thought we might get a place. Someplace that belongs to all three of us."

Mulder's mouth gaped. He stood, as slack-jawed as an idiot, staring in silent amazement at Walt. It took Walter's worried question, "Mulder, did I piss you off? I was looking at the ads. I did intend to ask you what you thought of the idea before I so much as called on anything," to jolt him out of his shock.

Guilty Walter was adorable. He looked as if Mulder might ask him to leave his own apartment as the result of the oversight. 

For once, Mulder didn't want to tease. He kissed the top of Walter's head, nudged him with a narrow hip, wanting to sit beside him, and said, "Alex could use one of those therapeutic baths. Think we can afford that?"

Walter grimaced and said, "He can."

The big guy didn't have as much of a problem with Alex's source of funds as Mulder did. Frankly, he'd rather support Alex with his own paycheck and the inheritance from his mother than think that Spender's war chest was funding Alex's private life as well as his guerrilla warfare effort against the aliens and the remaining collaborators.

But Mulder had enough of seeing Alex in pain ... *causing* Alex to suffer -just as Alex had grown tired of hurting him. He could ignore where the money had come from if it made Alex's body ache a little less. 

Capturing a cold piece of French toast from Walter's plate, Mulder pointed a sticky finger at an ad. He said, "Mark that one. Full, covered deck, forty-five minutes from work unless the traffic's really bad. If you woke me up when you wake up, I'd be to work on time."

"You'd be at work on time anyway, if you and Alex didn't start every day fucking like bunnies, Mulder," Walter grouched.

Yeah, right, as if Walter wasn't the instigator half of the time. Mulder wedged his hand under that loosened waistband, feeling the heat of Walter's flesh. He wrapped the errant curl he found when his hand delved lower around a playful finger. 

Walter arched back slightly. So easy, Walter, I knew I liked something about you, Mulder thought. 

"The ads, Mulder. The ads! If Alex gets back from his meeting on time, we can go look at some places this afternoon." Walter protested, although his hand on Mulder's arm didn't quite push him away.

"I don't like him meeting with Marita. She won't give up," Mulder said darkly.

Walter grinned at that and said, "Can't say I blame her. Would you?"

The rueful smile told just how long Mulder had tried to give Alex up. As it widened, it displayed the relief he felt that he never had mastered the art of not loving Alex. 

"Me either," replied Walter, turning his attention back to the ads.

SKMSKMSKSMSKMSKM

Alex returned on time. Walked into he apartment very quietly. *Very* quietly. Hoping that they'd not make a production out of things - knowing they would.

"So," he grinned at the two men on the couch, "what's the word? Mulder like your idea, Walt?" Shrugging off his leather, he carefully - with great attention to detail - hung it in the closet. Anything to stave off the inevitable.

"We have a list of possibilities," Mulder informed him, waving said list in the air.

"Great! We going out to look at them now?" Alex asked, heading toward the kitchen in hopes of finding a cup of coffee still therein.

"Hold it *right* there, Alex." Frowning, eyes narrowed, Skinner threw out the order in his best pissed-off-AD voice.

Uh oh. 

Swallowing heavily, Krycek stopped and turned to face Walt.

Confused, Mulder looked to Skinner for an explanation.

Walking over to Alex's side, Walter pulled the neck of his t-shirt down and pointed.

"What the fuck?!" Mulder rose from the sofa and crossed to take a closer look at the mark adorning Alex's throat.

"Um, listen guys ... I didn't ... I mean, I couldn't avoid it - Really, I couldn't. She just ... " He shrugged and smiled weakly.

"That *bitch*," Mulder growled. "I'll kill her. You're ours, Alex. *Ours*. Where the hell does she get off marking you?"

"I just can't seem to make her understand, Mulder. I've tried, believe me."

"Well, obviously you haven't tried hard enough, Alex." Skinner was pissed. 

That scared Alex. He didn't like to anger the big guy - or Mulder, for that matter. Oh, yeah, they'd both put great effort into convincing him that he was not going to be tossed aside, that he was an intricate part of this relationship, that they loved him. Still, there was a part of him that expected them to wake up and realize just who and what he was - what he'd done to them in the past.

Lowering his eyes, Alex backed away from the two angry men. "I'm sorry. I'll try talking to her again."

"Sure. That's worked so well in the past," Skinner sneered. "Alex, how the hell could you just stand there and let her do it? That hickey took some work on her part - it's not easy to mark someone that ... *Shit* Look at it, Mulder - purple already. And it just happened. It'll be brilliantly colored in a few hours."

"It ... I ... She had me pinned against a wall. I didn't want to make a scene." Blushing with shame, Alex took a few more steps back. "I really am sorry..."

Walter threw up his hands. "Make a scene? He didn't want to *make a scene*. Dammit, Alex. Don't you think having that woman attached to your neck was a scene in itself?"

"But I ... but she..." Stuttering to a halt, Alex looked at his lovers in mute appeal

"Shut up, Alex. Just shut the fuck up," Skinner spat at him. "But, but, but! You *know* how we feel about her touching you. And still you let her do that - leave that mark on you."

"I, uh ..." Unable to listen any more, Alex rushed past Skinner and Mulder to take refuge in the bedroom. 

//Fuck, fuck, fuck! You really screwed the pooch this time, Alex// 

Sitting on the bed, he looked around the room, memories crowding his mind. The sex, the love, the tenderness. Only these two had ever offered him tenderness. And, he'd loved it. Stored away every moment for the future -the one he knew he'd eventually spend alone.

He just hadn't expected it to arrive so soon.

With a sigh, he let go the dream of moving to a new place - a place for all three of them. This Marita thing was - it appeared - the final straw. While they'd reluctantly come to terms with his ties to the resistance, the fact that his contact was Marita seemed to be an insurmountable obstacle.

He should have pushed her away - made it clearer that he didn't want her to touch him. That he was taken. Happily so.

But, he hadn't. Idiot that he was, he'd just stood there and let her mark him.

Shit.

Fuck.

Damn.

He lay back on the bed and covered his eyes with one arm. Time to leave. Soon. As soon as he could get these damned tears under control, he would head out and find himself a place to stay.

SKMSKMSKMSKMSKM

Quietly, Mulder watched as Walt paced the room. He opened his mouth to speak, but one glare from the big guy quashed the notion. With a helpless shrug, he followed Alex into the bedroom.

Eerily, Krycek showed no reaction to his entrance. He just lay there, arm over eyes, not moving.

This was bad. Very bad. He knew Alex well enough to see the hopelessness in his demeanor. And, most frightening of all, tears were evident on his face.

Alex *never* cried.

Never.

Okay. Enough already. Mulder crossed to the bed and touched Alex's knee. "Wait here, please. I'm going to talk to Walt for a minute. Promise you won't run away while I'm gone?"

Alex shrugged. "Fine, Mulder. Whatever."

Back in the living room, Mulder crossed his arms on his chest and glared at Walter. "He's crying, you know."

"And just what do you want me to do about it? He let that damned woman -"

"Walter, I *know* what he did," Mulder said impatiently. "The question is, are you so angry that you're willing to risk losing him over this? Because he's gonna leave. I can tell. He's just waiting for a chance to run when we're not looking." Moving to stand in front of Skinner, Mulder met his eyes. "Is that really what you want? If he goes, he's gone for good. You know that as well as I do."

Skinner frowned as Mulder's words sank in. "You don't really think he'd -"

"Oh yeah," Mulder confirmed emphatically. "That's exactly what I think. And if you don't get in there right now and fix this I will never forgive you. Dammit, you know how fragile he is - how unsure of our feelings for him."

"Shit. I guess I kind of overdid it, huh?"

"Yes," Mulder nodded curtly. "You did. Now - go in there and talk to him."

"You coming too?"

"You bet I am - he needs both of us right now."

Skinner took one look at Alex and guilt came crashing down on his head. The boy was obviously hurt. In fact, he looked like he'd just given up. 

//Take a good look, Walt. *You* made this//

Carefully, slowly, he approached the bed and perched on one edge. "Alex?" He said softly. "I'm sorry that I overreacted." Gingerly he put one hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Alex?"

Shrugging the hand aside, Krycek turned onto his side, presenting his back to Skinner. "No problem, big guy," he mumbled. "Just give me a few minutes here, and I'll be out of your way."

"I don't want you 'out of the way', Alex. I'm ... " Skinner sighed heavily and watched as Mulder climbed onto the bed and gathered Alex into his arms. "I've never been the jealous type - I don't quite know where that came from. I guess it was just seeing that mark, knowing she'd touched you that way... I don't - I'm not - I wasn't angry with *you*, Alex. That bitch, Marita, yes. Myself for being so angry, so jealous, definitely. But not you. Not really. I'm not proud of the way I took it out on you, babe."

Krycek buried his face in Mulder's neck, but otherwise there was no reaction.

Shifting around, Skinner lay down, pressing his length along Alex's back. "Please, Alex, give me a chance. I'd never want you to leave - never want to lose you. I love you - so much it scares me. I know I'm older than you two, and not the prettiest flower in the bunch. I guess I just get ... Well, I'm always afraid that one or both of you will take a good look at me some day and realize that you've saddled yourselves with an old man. That scares me -and, I suppose it makes me want to hold on to you even more strongly - hence, the jealousy. She *is* an attractive woman."

A shudder ran through Krycek's frame, then he slowly rolled to his back and shyly met Walt's concerned and repentant gaze. "You were jealous?" He finally asked incredulously.

Skinner smiled wryly. "Unbearably so."

"You don't want me to leave? You really love me?"

Wrapping his arms around Alex, Skinner pulled him close. "Yes, I do love you. And, no, I don't want you to leave." He closed his eyes and rested his head against Alex's hair. "What I want is for the three of us to make a home together - a place of our own."

Feeling movement, Skinner opened his eyes to see that Mulder had plastered himself along Alex's back and was stroking his side and hip. He raised one brow in query and Mulder nodded.

"So," with one hand, Walt lifted Alex's head so he could see those sinfully green eyes. "Apartment hunting this afternoon?"

Alex nodded and almost smiled.

Mulder snorted. "Apartment hunting can wait. I have a sudden urge to indulge in a little make-up sex." So saying, he parted his lips and started nibbling on Krycek's nape.

Alex sighed, shifting under the attention, sinuously stretching his length between his lovers. Raising his hand to Walt's chest, his fingers restlessly petted the light coating of hair; Alex smiled and lifted his lips to meet Skinner's.

Mulder watched closely as they kissed, vicariously enjoying the joining of their mouths. Damn, he couldn't decide which was more exciting - the pleasure he got from his voyeurism or the way they always enjoyed having him as their audience.

Grinning, he reached down and started to undress Alex, pulling the t-shirt over his head to throw it carelessly in the direction of the window. Walt released Alex's mouth long enough for the shirt to be removed then moved back in, taking Alex's mouth forcefully.

"Mine," he mumbled.

"Ours," Mulder corrected.

Alex smiled.

Pulling away to glance at Mulder, Walt met his eyes with a grin and the two peeled Alex's jeans away, tossing his footwear and pants in opposite directions.

//No wonder I can never find my clothing// Krycek frowned and looked around the room. "Do you two *have* to throw my clothes all over the place like that?"

Raising up on his elbow, Mulder looked at the shirt adorning the windowsill. "Yep, we do."

Walt shrugged. "You've got to admit, they make the room look lived in."

"Well yeah, but ... why is it always *my* clothes?"

"Because," Walt answered, a teasing glint in his eye, "you always wear black - which goes perfectly with the white carpet."

"Weak, Skinner - very weak."

"Shut up, Alex," Mulder instructed. "We're making up now - no more talk about your damn clothes."

Placing his hand behind his head, Alex relaxed back against the pillows. "Well then, get to work, gentlemen."

Huffing a laugh, Skinner removed his jeans and shifted about until he was laying half atop the younger man. Braced on one arm, he used his free hand to stroke Alex's smooth skin, smiling every time his petting garnered a gasp or a sigh. 

Alex was so delightfully responsive. 

Even more so when Walter's mouth followed the path his hand had taken. As he nibbled and sucked, Alex's sounds gained volume and he writhed sensuously under the caresses.

Mulder, having stripped, was reclining on Alex's other side, watching avidly whilst running one hand teasingly down his own chest. Leaning close, he pressed his lips against one finely shaped ear. "God, you're beautiful, Alex. Amazingly so. Isn't he, Walt?"

With a soft snort, Alex shook his head. "'M not - but thanks."

Skinner raised his head to look into Alex's eyes. "He's right - you *are* beautiful."

Alex closed his eyes, a faint blush climbing his face.

"Alex," Mulder murmured softly. "Look at us ... see how much we love you -need you. We wouldn't be here if not for you - you're our center."

Muttering under his breath, Krycek kept his eyes firmly shut against the open emotion in Mulder's voice. 

"Look at Walt, Alex. Look at his eyes. Read how he feels - how much he loves you - how sorry he is about what he said earlier, how he acted when you came home."

Finally, reluctantly, the long lashes fluttered open and Alex met Skinner's gaze. The brown eyes were soft with regret and begged forgiveness. And, god, suddenly, all Alex wanted in the world was to have Walter inside of him, holding him, taking him.

"Walter," he moaned, arching up to press himself even closer to the hard body against his. 

"Shh," Skinner soothed, shooting Mulder a speaking look. "I know, Alex. I want you, too."

"Well then get to it, dammit," Krycek demanded, suddenly impatient.

Mulder laughed and rolled over to reach into the bedside drawer, coming back with a condom and lube in hand. The condom was handed to Walt, and the lube opened - the cap tossed over one shoulder. 

Watching as Mulder squeezed a generous amount of lubricant onto his fingers and started preparing Alex for the coming invasion, Walt rolled the condom onto his erection with shaky hands. As badly as Krycek wanted him, that much and more did Walter long to be inside of the tightness that was Alex.

Finally ready, Skinner grabbed a pillow and shoved it under Alex's hips. Mulder withdrew fractionally, resting on one elbow stroking his own cock lightly as he watched Walt mount up.

Despite his urgency - or possibly because of it - Walt took even more care than usual as he entered Alex. Oh god, he never ceased to be stunned at the tight heat of Krycek's ass. Once he'd thrust his way fully inside, he stopped, breathing heavily, and rested his forehead against Alex's.

"Go on, Walt," Mulder said huskily. "Do it. Look how much he wants you -give him what he wants ... show him how much we need him."

In a corner of his mind, Walt was amazed to feel Alex's muscles tightening around him to the sound of Mulder's voice. He'd never noticed that before. Mulder loved to watch - he was particularly fond of those occasions when Skinner fucked Krycek - and, being Mulder, he talked incessantly. That had taken some getting used to - Walt had always considered himself a fairly vanilla kind of guy - but, knowing Mulder was watching them so closely, expressing his pleasure in words, always lent an extra thrill to this.

And, Alex, it now appeared, reacted to Mulder's vocality as strongly as Walter did. 

How had he not noticed this before?

Just how many things about Alex was he *not* seeing? He made a mental note to pay much closer attention in future. To both the things that gave Alex an extra thrill of pleasure, and to his fears, his uncertainties.

No more assuming that the boy was okay. He'd been coasting along, assuming that Alex understood his ingrained reticence when it came to "relationship talk". No more, though. Oh no - there would be no repeats of this morning's jealous tantrum.

He never wanted to see Alex look like that again.

"I love you," He told the younger man as he started a carefully controlled thrusting. Turning his head, he met Mulder's avid gaze. "Love you too."

And that, he decided later, was another thing - from now on, he'd tell them that as often as possible. Particularly in bed. 

Especially in bed.

They went wild. Alex arching under him, grasping his hip with bruising force - Mulder pressed against them, chewing alternately on Skinner's shoulder and Alex's neck.

"Oh, jesus," Walt moaned. He couldn't wait any longer and started fucking Alex with intent. Gasping for breath, he somehow managed to remember to reach down and take Alex's neglected erection into his fist.

Alex screamed.

Scared Walt half to death. Alex never made noise once he was actually being fucked. He was the quietest lover Skinner'd ever had. Shocked, he froze, hanging above Alex, studying his face for signs of pain.

"Fuck!" Alex snarled. "Don't you dare stop now, you bastard." His legs wrapped around Skinner's waist, and Alex fucked himself on that wonderfully hard cock. "Oh, god, that's good. You feel ... Shit, Skinner, I love you." The snarl disappeared, replaced by entreaty, then approval. "Please, Walt -Fuck! Yeah ... that's better." Tossing his head from side to side, Alex panted and licked his lips. "Don't stop. Pleasedon'tstop."

"Mmmm," Mulder hummed into Alex's ear. "Come for us. Come for us now."

And he did. Screamed again, and erupted. 

The sound of Alex's pleasure was too much for even Skinner's vaunted self-control and he too came, grunting wordlessly and straining to get even a millimeter further inside of Alex.

Strangely, Mulder was the silent one. So intent on absorbing the sights and sounds of Walter and Alex's completion, his own orgasm was upon him and past before he even had a chance to utter a sound.

Several minutes passed before any of the three stirred. It was the cramps that got Alex in motion. His hips and legs were loudly protesting Skinner's weight, and reluctantly, he shifted beneath the relaxed body. Taking the hint, Walter sighed and lifted himself, collapsing beside Alex.

"Wow." Mulder groaned. "That was -"

"Yeah," Alex agreed. "It was."

A soft snore emanated from Walt.

Alex snorted in amusement. "How long do you suppose we should let him sleep?"

"Oh," Mulder made a production of looking at his watchless wrist. "'Bout long enough for us to take a shower."

"Okay." Alex yawned. "You go first."

He was asleep before Mulder managed to climb out of the bed. Pausing on the edge of the mattress, Mulder looked at his peacefully sleeping lovers, then glanced toward the bathroom door.

"What the hell?" He grumbled as he lay back down and closed his eyes. "Apartment hunting is very wearying. A nap seems," yawn, "like an excellent idea."

SKMSKMSKMSKMSKM

Waking up, Walter felt a nose, Mulder's nose snuffling gently at his nape. The gentle puffs of warm breath tickled, but he really didn't mind - nor did he mind Alex's ass still fitting against his groin.

Then he moved, wincing at a distinct crackling sound.

Mildly, Alex said, "Ow."

Mulder's sleepy voice said, "You looked too cute to wake."

Walter stood up and checked the foliage at his groin. Well, he wasn't in danger of growing bald there even after this mishap. Alex snickered and said, "I knew you were stuck on me from the first."

Turning it back on Alex, Walter said, "And you were right. Come on; let's go take a shower. You too, Mulder, I think of you as my personal loofah. I like the way you rub me all over."

The shower had never been built for three men, but they didn't mind being close. Alex was still feeling uncertain. His doubts revealed in his every movement - in the way he leaned into Walter; the way his hand reached back to keep Mulder near. 

Since Alex wasn't willing to let go to wash himself, Walter poured some of the scented liquid soap - with skin conditioners yet - that Mulder had bought for Alex. Must keep the Rat sleek and shining after all. He did like the feel of it, slithering over the soft, smooth skin. A man could spend a happy hour just washing that ass. Defining the silken cheeks with hands that seemed crude and rough by contrast, circling the faint creases, gently clasping the cheeks and moving them apart. Alex looked up at him, one corner of his mouth quirking up in a smile, as Walter's finger slid between the hemispheres of his round ass.

"I thought we were going to see that house with the deck?" Alex asked.

"Yes, we are, Agent Krycek," Walter replied, just to see that faint duck of the head and almost blush at the name. It had just slipped out once when Alex had come to see him at the Hoover Building in a suit that was reminiscent of the days when they'd all worked together - before the possibility of a relationship between them went to hell. Now, Walter used it to tease, loving the hint of that more innocent man.

"Come here, I'll wash your front," Mulder offered.

Yes, definitely needed a bigger shower. Only the soap and water allowed Alex to turn around and nestle in Mulder's embrace. Mulder had to wiggle back to be able to move at all, which somehow seated Walter's interested cock against that fascinating behind. On the other hand, thought Walter, small shower cubicles had their advantages.

Eventually, all three were sufficiently clean, and they climbed out of the small shower stall.

"I'll get something together for an early dinner or a late lunch," Mulder said blithely, toweling his tawny hair into tussled perfection. Walter grimaced, but Alex merely lifted his arm to be dried, arching like a cat and looking as if he was soon going to purr.

"Feels so good," Alex said, "I'd have been crazy to leave."

"Insane, but don't worry. We'd have found you, Alex, and persuaded you to come back," Walter said, nuzzling that spot just above the collar bone that always produced the same reaction, neck flinging back, eyes closing in pleasure, and lips, parting softly and sweetly. It was delicious and it made Walter want to devour him from head to toe with special attention to points between.

Laughing softly, Alex pushed him away and said, "We have to get dressed and see what Mulder's burning in the kitchen."

SKMSKMSKMSKMSKM

The second house that they saw, the one with the deck, looked perfect. It was situated at the bottom of a gentle slope with a narrow strip of riverfront included in the just under an acre of land. The price was astounding for Maryland this close to DC. Walter mentally calculated the amount of money in his savings and made a good guess at Mulder's. They could make a good-sized down payment without even dipping into Alex's dubious funds.

Mentally sectioning the partially finished basement into three small offices, Walter was ready to make an offer. Mulder seemed to have found a small X-File via a spider's web that seemed quite ordinary to Walter. Alex, on the other hand, was squatting in front of a section of panel-less wall. Noticing how intent that Alex was, Walter walked over and touched his shoulder.

"Something?" Walter asked.

"Yeah, come down here and have a look," Alex said, glancing up at him.

"Okay," Walter said, crouching as well. He pulled at a trouser leg; they had all dressed in expensive semi-casual clothing, conservative yet comfortable, trying to look like reliable buyers and avoid any questions about why three men were buying a house. 

Walter was a little worried at ruining these good charcoal wool trousers. Mulder had bought them and they were a tighter fit than he usually purchased for himself. Walter had not thought he would like them, but Kim had actually whistled when she'd seen him in them one day when Walter was working on a Saturday. Studying his profile in a mirror, Walter had decided that Mulder could plan his wardrobe any day.

The wall looked ordinary, rough concrete, a little darker near the bottom, but nothing odd as far as Walter could see. He looked closer and still couldn't see what Alex had found so interesting.

Finally, Alex pointed to the mottled layer of darkness and said, "That's a flood line, Walter. You can see two different marks on the wall so at least twice before the paneling was installed this basement flooded."

The real estate agent, Cathy Freeman, was a tall, blonde, willowy woman, who had taken three calls from her kids in the half-hour since they met here. She overheard Alex and joined the conference on the floor, bouncing on her high heels as if she had a problem holding still. She said, "Oh, dear, the precis on this house doesn't mention it being on a flood plain."

"How long has that development above been there?" Alex asked.

"About five years?" The woman said uncertainly.

"Yeah, that would be the problem. A lot of these older houses have problems when the natural drainage above them is removed. So they flood when the rain is above average," Alex said. He stood up gracefully and said, "More problems than we want, Walt."

Mulder wandered over and said, "I wonder how a brown recluse got here? They are virtually unknown in Maryland."

"Don't they bite?" Cathy Freeman asked.

"Yes," Mulder said, "But their usual habitat is Georgia to Illinois. The females are larger and inclined to eat the males if..."

Mulder was talking to the air. Mrs. Freeman had fled upstairs. 

Curiously, Walter stopped Alex from following. He asked, "So how did you know what you were seeing, Alex?"

"One of my foster fathers did home repair, fixing flood and fire damage, that sort of thing." Alex explained, "He got a lot of work out of me." He said nothing further after this rare glimpse into his childhood, but the faint darkening of his eyes and the tiny upward motion of the chin told Walter that this was not a happy chapter in Krycek's life.

Alex shrugged, one of the physical signals that he was putting back on his emotional armor. Perhaps one of them would get more out of him later, but right now it would not do to push. He hurried up the stairs.

Walter shrugged and followed. Filing out the front door, they found Mrs. Freeman on the porch and waved goodbye to her. She was already back on the phone with someone named Ryan, who "Could not go to the mall to hang around, young man, because that's how kids get in trouble."

Slumped in the back seat, legs propped on the seat, Alex said, "What say I do a web search and find us some suitable places to look at? I'm sure there are sites that specialize in that."

"All right, Alex, just remember, Mulder really wants a good location for a therapeutic sauna." Walter said before turning around in his seat to start the car.

Mulder's arms were expansively wide on the seatback, invading Walter's territory. He glanced back at Alex and said, "Yeah, Scully said that it would calm me down. When work upsets me and all."

Walter knew that Mulder would explain to Scully why she should lie if Alex questioned her and tell him that it was really for her partner, not Alex. Although Scully found it difficult to accept Alex's role in her friends' lives, she was sympathetic about the arm and frequently made suggestions on how to make Alex's life easier through the intermediary of his lovers.

Settling back for a nap, Alex said drowsily, "That's good, Mulder, take better care of yourself."

A deepening in his breaths told Walter that Alex had done his cat trick again. He had the knack of sleeping anywhere, in any position, in any circumstance. Walter guessed it was a survival habit. God knows, for a long time after Vietnam, Walter'd had the same trick himself - when he could sleep at all. There had been days at a time when slumber wouldn't bless him at all.

SKMSKMSKMSKMSKM

The arm splayed across Walter was Mulder's. He had incredibly bony elbows, one of which was currently digging in to Walter's waist. He wiggled out from under, smiling as Mulder grunted and tried to find his warmth. Alex should have been in the middle and it worried him that Alex had gotten out of bed first. He always liked to linger as long as either Walter or Mulder were with him. He'd lived such a long time having no one with whom to wake up. With no one to care whether he was alive or dead. He seemed to consider the cherished middle sleeping position as paradise and they usually gave it to him. 

Grabbing his luxuriant white robe off the hook on the door, Walter followed his nose to the kitchen. Alex sat at the small table with the paper in front of him. His robe although exactly the same as Walter's was a velvety black. That made sense to Walter. He usually saw precious stones displayed on black and what could be more rare and beautiful than his lover, Alex? Mulder had a robe too although he often forgot to wear it. It was a tawny shade that went well with his hair and complexion. Alex said it made him look like a Mulder parfait, layers of variant amber shades.

One didn't sneak up on Alex even to kiss him. Walter said, "Good morning," and then came around the side of the table and leaned down to kiss him, not a morning peck, not for Alex. Every kiss felt like drowning in him, totally submerged in the sensation of those bow-shaped lips, that yielding mouth. It took a moment to thud back down. Walter took in the tousled hair, feathered this morning like a baby eagle's, tumbled and on end. The lips were ruddy now from the kiss and the eyes had gone a warm and welcoming green. "I love you," Walter said, feeling the need to reassure Alex after yesterday's debacle.

"I know. You know how I feel about you," Alex replied.

"Eggs Hollandaise? Special occasion?" Walter asked.

"No, happy," Alex explained, "very happy."

Walter stole a bite and said, "Mmm, good."

"He always used to steal my food when we were partners. He never wanted to stop and eat, but if I put my foot down, he'd grab a drink and tell me all he wanted was his damned seeds. Then I'd start to eat and he would take a bite and then another until he'd had more than half. Why did he do that, Walter?"

Seeming genuinely perplexed, Alex sat there with that v-shaped frown, his face very like a puzzled child. He seemed to expect Walter would have the answer.

Thinking about it, Walter was relatively sure that he did. He answered, "You know come to think about it, he used to do that to me until I just ordered him to eat. I don't think Mulder knows enough to listen to his body, Alex. He probably didn't know he was hungry until he watched you eat." 

With a smile, Walter added, "And I think he would have stopped if you said, no."

"I wasn't good at saying 'no' to Mulder. Never really got good at it or I wouldn't have gone to Russia," Alex mused. The frown smoothed and Alex said, "Everything's so much better since it has been the three of us, not just two of us and the other one, left on the outside, all alone."

"I wouldn't go back," Walter said, "I've never been this happy." A little embarrassed by his easy admission, he went on; "I'm going to take a shower before eating. Wish you had waited for me," Walter said. 

"Sorry, but I wanted to make breakfast and then start looking for houses. When you and Mulder come home from work, I should have a list of places to see," Alex said.

Taking another look at Alex, Walter could have kicked himself for the chance he'd taken yesterday. People thought one male lover was odd. Two was enough to make his former conservative friends question his sanity or sobriety. But they'd never had Mulder and Alex. A fierce possessiveness filled Walter, and he vowed that HE was going to track Marita down. He was a gentleman, but Marita was going to learn to keep her hands off Alex. And her lips too!

Mulder came into the bathroom as Walter was putting on deodorant. Mulder stumbled to the john and stood pissing, hair forming a ridge where he had slept on it, face screwed up against the light, looking a bit like a geriatric hamster owned by one of Walter's nieces.

"Morning, Mulder," Walter said, not sharing the source of the amusement in his voice.

"Morning-Walter-leave-me-alone-until-after-my-shower-there-better-be-coffee-out-there," Mulder ran together in a monotone mumble.

"There's coffee and a nice breakfast. Say thank you to Alex and eat some of it when you come out," Walter instructed.

SKMSKMSKSMSKMSKM

Alex was sitting in front of one of the two computers in the room. Mulder had a laptop, but he usually used Walter's since Alex's computer made him nervous with all the bells and whistles on it. He said, "Walt, come here. Take a look at this."

The picture on the screen looked too good to be true just like the one they had seen yesterday. It had a full acre. There was already a plumbed deck, nicely screened from view and with a doorway from the master bedroom. The fenced back yard would be great for Walter's nephews and nieces, and the little girl that Scully hoped to adopt.

Alex turned back toward him, smiling, as Walter leaned down, arms encircling him. "I don't have anything today. I could talk Cathy into showing it to me and then, if everything checks out, we can have dinner out and all see if we like it."

"You did great, Alex. After yesterday, I think you are the expert at house buying. So go and have a look. I'm sure you won't have any trouble talking Cathy into making an appointment," Walter said with a smile. Alex hardly ever flirted. In fact most of the time he seemed to miss the impact that he had on that percentage of the population that wasn't blind. However, he knew how to be charming and that, coupled with his looks, meant no mere real estate agent had a chance of denying him anything. "Go get 'em, tiger," Walter said.

"Breakfast smells good," Mulder said, filling up a plate. He wandered over, grazing as he strolled about, naked except for the towel around his neck. He was not in the least concerned about the open shade and the window across the way. Walter shrugged. They were moving soon anyway. 

Once Alex Krycek set his mind to something, it happened and happened fast. 

SKMSKMSKMSKMSKM

Alex had fidgeted his way through dinner, barely containing his excitement over the house he'd viewed that afternoon. Walter frowned at the nearly full plate still in front of the younger man and pointed with his fork. "Alex, eat your dinner."

"Not hungry," Alex said. He looked pleadingly at his lovers. "Aren't you guys done yet? Cathy said she'd meet us at 8." He glanced at Walt's watch. "It's 7.30 already - we'll be late if we don't get moving."

Hiding his smile at Alex's child-like excitement, Skinner signaled for the check. Once the bill was taken care of, the three loaded themselves into Mulder's car and drove out to meet the real estate agent.

The house was perfect. Absolutely perfect. A huge deck ran the entire length of the rear of the house; plumbing in place for the hot tub Mulder wanted. Huge sliding glass doors led out to the deck from the living room, the dining room and the master suite. 

"Here," Alex grabbed Walter by one arm and led him to the bedroom. "Look! The fireplace ... the closets ... and, a shower big enough for all three of us!"

"It's very nice, Alex," Mulder commented from the doorway to the living room.

"Nice? It's fucking perfect. Did you see the basement? One office is ready to go - we can divide the game room into two more. And, there are two guestrooms upstairs." He spun in a circle, waving his arm expansively. "Come on, admit it - this is the perfect house for us."

Mulder's eye caught Skinner's and they both laughed. "Alex," Walter said, walking over to pull the man into his arms. "You're right, this is the one. Let's go talk to Cathy about making an offer."

"Um... well, actually -"

Mulder laughed. "You already did, didn't you?"

Alex blushed and nodded. "And they accepted. I got a good price, honest I did. You aren't mad, are you?"

"Well then, I guess we just need to sign the papers, huh?" Mulder asked. "When do we do that? I've never actually done this before, you know. Real estate buying is a mystery to me."

"I have the papers right here."

The three men turned to see Cathy Freeman standing in the doorway waving said papers in the air. "Alex said you'd be partners in the purchase - I had legal draw up the documents this afternoon. Just sign on the dotted line and it's all yours."

Walt opened his mouth to broach the topic of financing, but one look at the anxious expression on Alex's face stopped him cold. This was too important to their rat - now was not the time to argue about money. Now was the time to sign and smile.

With a shrug, Skinner took the papers and pulled a pen out of his breast pocket. Once he'd signed, he handed both to Mulder. Finally, it was Alex's turn to sign.

With a flourish, he wrote his full name, Mulder watching curiously over his shoulder. He'd always wondered just what Krycek's legal name was -surprisingly, it *was* Krycek. Alexei Michalovich Krycek. Huh.

Alex paused, looking up with a frown. "What's the date?"

"Um, the fourteenth, I think," Mulder offered.

Walter nodded. "Yep - today is February fourteenth." He moved over to stand at Alex's side, putting one arm around his waist. Mulder leaned in close and rested his chin on Alex's shoulder. 

Alex looked at one and then the other of his lover's smiling faces. Grinned himself. "Well then, there's only one thing left to say, I guess... Happy Valentines Day."

Cathy smiled as the three moved together, trading hugs and kisses. Quietly, she left the room and wandered out onto the deck, giving the men a moment of privacy. 

Wiping a tear from her eye, she sighed and viewed the yard. Alex had gone on at some length this afternoon about the roses he planned to landscape with. This house, she knew, would be the perfect home for these men. They'd be happy here. 

She loved nothing better than a happy ending.


End file.
